Closet and crematory for excrement.



No. 677,l4l. Patented June 25, l90l J. E. RICE.

CLOSET AND CREMATORY FDR EXCREMENT.

(Application filed July 14, 1900.)

m3 Model.)

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UNiTnn STATES PATENT ,Orrica.

JOHN E. RICE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CLOSET AN D CREMATORY FOR EXCREMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,141, dated June 25,1901.

' Application filed July 14,1900. Serial No. 23,660. (No model.

To ztZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, JOHN E. RICE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClosets and Crematories for Excrement, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates tocerta-in improvements in that class of closetswherein the ex crement is ignited; and the object of the invention is toprovide a closet of this character having improved means whereby theexcrement is collected and incinerated in a thorough and improved way,so as to avoid the production of foul odors and also the dangers ofcontagion.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction,combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the improvedcloset, whereby certain important advantages are attained and the deviceis made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise better adapted and moreconvenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate my invention,Figure 1 is a sectional view taken vertically and longitudinally througha closet constructed according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged cross-section taken vertically through the closet in the planeindicated by line a a in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail viewshowing in elevation the furnace employed in connection with theimproved closet.

In the views, 1 1 indicate a series of closets separated from each otherby means of partitions 2 2, and 3 "indicates the floor, upon which issupported a tube or pipe extended along the series of closets andformed, as herein shown, of a plurality of sections t 4, joined end toend. There is, as shown herein, one ofthe sections 4: for each closet 1;but it is evident that this is not essential to my invention, since anintegral or unjointed pipe might be employed. The sections 4: extendacross the lower parts of the closetsl and are provided at their upperparts'with openings having upturned flanges 5 encircling them andadapted to form seats for the closets in a well-known way. Each openingis normally closed by a cover or leaf 6, hinged to a crosspiece 7 in thecloset and having a bracket 9 secured to its upper surface in positionto engage the cross-piece 7, as shown at on in Fig.

2, ma manner to prevent the cover or leaf 6 from being thrown back toofar to enable it to fall bygravity to its lowered or closed positionwhen released.

Beyond one end of the series of closets 1 1 the closet tube or pipe isprovided with a plain section 10 of equal diameter with the sections 4and having its end closed bya cover 11, removably secured to it andaffordingaccess to the end of the tube or pipe when desired, and in saidsection 10 is normally held a piston formed of a body portion 12 of lessdiameter than the bore of the section and provided at its forward end orthat end adjacent to the series of closets with an annular flange 13. Onthe opposite end of the reduced body portion 12 is also arranged toslide a cap 14, having a flange 15 adjacent to the flange 13 0f the bodyportion, and between the flanges 13 and 15 is held apacking-ring 16, offelt or other suitable material. The flanges 13 and 15 are held togetherby screws or bolts admitting of being tightened to press thepacking-ring 16 snugly against the wall of the closet tube or pipe inwhich the piston'is adapted to play. To lubricate the piston, a cup 17is provided on the section 10 of the closet-pipe, so that glycerin, oil,or other 1u-' bricant may be injected into the tube orpipe to facilitatethe movement of the piston. The

liquid injected by the cup 17 may also, if desired, be a deodorant orantiseptic.

To the forward end of the piston is connected a wire rope, chain, or thelike, as

shown at 18, said connection-extending in the 7 axis of the tube or pipeand beingpassed out at the front end thereof, which end is also providedwith a plain section 1 9, which extends through the wallof a combustion-chamher 20, herein shown as arranged adjacent to 7 the seriesof closets 1 1, although it maybe separated therefrom, if desired. Thecombustion-chamber 20 has its upper part formed into a flue F, hereinshown as of brickwork, although a metal stack may as well be subst-iandbelow the closet-tube 19 is arrangeda furnace 20 of peculiarconstruction and adapted for use in incinerating the excrementitiousmatters from the closets,being provided with a fire-box having a grate21 at its lower part and beneath said grate an ash-pit 22. At the upperpart of the fire-box is arranged a plurality of metal plates or leaves23, forming a support or table to receive and hold the solid orsemisolid excrementitious matters discharged from the open end of thecloset-tube. These leaves or plates have concave upper and lowersurfaces to receive the said matters and are adapted to be set, as shownin Fig. l, with their edges adjacent to form a substantially continuouspartition or platform across the top of the fire-box, and to avoidinterference with combustion said plates or leaves are formed withopenings 24 extending through them, as shown in Fig. 1, for the passageof the products of combustion from the furnace. The leaves or plates 23are capable of being tilted, so as to stand vertically in order todischarge their contents into the fire-box, and then advanced tocomplete a half-revolution, thus presenting any matter clinging to theirnow lower faces to the direct heat of the fire-box for full consumption,said plates or leaves being held on shafts 25; which extend through thefront wall of the fire-box, as shown in Fig. 3, and are provided withintermeshing gears 26. There are three shafts 25, the central one beingprovided with a crank-handle, by means of which it may be turned, andthe gears 26 being of equal diameter it will be readily seen that themovements of the plates or leaves 23 will be synchronized to cause themto simultaneously deposit the dried matter held on them in the fire-box.

To lead off the urine'from the closets 1 1, the section 19 of the closettube or pipe is provided with an opening 28 in its bottom, arranged overand adapted to discharge the urine flowing through said tube or pipeinto a receptacle 29,'encircling the lower part of the fire-box, beingsupported on cleats in such a way as to receive heat therefrom to effectthe evaporation of the liquid of the urine.

The cable or connection 18 is extended in the combustion-chamber under asheave 30, being carried up, as shown at 31, and connected' to a drum32, on which it is adapted to be wound. A gear 33 on the drum 32 mesheswith a gear 34 on a crank-shaft having a handle 85, by means of whichthe cable may be conveniently wound on the drum 32, causing the pistonto move along the closet tube or pipe to free the same from solid orsemisolid excrementitious matters.

In operation when it is desired to clean the closet tube or pipe fromthe matters collected therein a fire is first kindled in the furnace 20,so as to heat the perforated plates or leaves 23, which are arrangedhorizontally, as shown in Fig. 1. The crank-handle 35 is then turned, soas to wind up the cable 18 on the drum 32, whereby the piston is movedalong in the closet tube or pipe and the excrementitious matters areforced out of the open end of said tube or pipe and'are dropped upon theplates 23, where they are quickly dried by the heat from the firebox.After the matters upon plates 23 are sufficiently dried, thecrank-handle 27 is turned, so as to deposit the dried matters held onthem in the fire-box, where they are completely burned. The urine fromthe closet tube or pipe may flow at all times into the vessel 29, whereit is collected and contained until evaporated by the heat of thefire-box.

To return the piston to its normal position, I provide a spring-actuateddrum 37, held on the cap 11 of the closet tube or pipe and ar= ranged toreceive a connection 36, adaptedto be wound upon it and secured to thepiston in a way to retract the same in the closettube from the tensionof the spring when the crank-handle 35 is released.

The improved closet constructed as above described is of an extremelysimple and inexpensive nature and is especially well adapt ed for use,since it permits of thoroughly and quickly cleaning the closet pipe ortube by merely turning the crank-handle 35, and the excrementitiousmatters being completely burned or ignited in a tight furnace are con sumed without giving ofi any foul or noxious odors or gases.

It will also be obvious from the above description that the improvedcloset is capable of considerable modification without materialdeparture from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for thisreason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the preciseform and arrangement of the several parts herein set forth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. In an apparatus of thecharacter described, the combination of a series of closets having acloset-tube extended along it and adapted to receive excrementitiousmatters,

a piston movable in said tube and a furnace having a fire-box providedwith means to receive the solid matters discharged from said tube andhaving a receptacle encircling the fire-box and adapted to containurine, and means to lead the urine from said tube into the receptacle,substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aseries of closets having a closet-tube extended along it and adapted toreceive excrementitious matters, a piston movable in the tube and afurnace comprising a fire-box, a series of perforated plates over thefire-box and adapted to receive matters discharged from said tube,rotatable shafts on which said plates are held, intermeshing gears onthe shafts, and means to turn one of said shafts, substantially as setforth.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aseries of closets having a closet-tube extended along it and adapted toreceive excrementitious matters, a piston movable in the tube and afurnace comprising a fire-box, a series of perforated plates havingopposite concave surfaces and arranged over the fire-box and adapted toreceive matters discharged from said tube, ro-

tatable shafts on which said plates are held,.

iutermeshing gears on the shafts, and means to turn one of the shafts,substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aseries of closets, a closet-tube extended along said series and adaptedto receive ex crementitious matters therefrom, a piston in the tube andprovided with operating means and a device for supplying liquid to thebore of the tube, said device being arranged to discharge such liquid inthe path of the piston along said closettube, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination of a furnace, a receptacle for liquid mattersurrounding the same, a closet-tube terminating over the furnace andadapted to discharge solid matter thereto, the said tube being providedwith a perforation for the passage of liquid alined with the receptaclesurrounding the furnace, and means for discharging liquid and solidmatter from the closet-tube, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a furnace open at its upper part for the receptionof matters to be ignited, a series of closets, a closet-tube extendedhorizontally below and adapted for receiving excrementitious mattersfrom said series of closets and having an open end arranged over thefurnace for the delivery of such matters thereto, a piston arranged insaid tube and fitting the inner Walls thereof and means for moving thepiston along the tube for discharging the contained matters from saidtube into the furnace, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me at Milton, Pennsylvania, this 5th day of July, A. D. 1900;

JOHN E. RICE;

'Witnesses:

EDWIN PAUL, GENERAL T. BAKER;

